By Casey OÇonnor
A locally-trained horse snatched the Warwick Credit Union Warwick Cup from visiting rivals for the first For the first time in 13 years at Allman Park on Saturday.
Tears flowed as Military Kings, trained by veteran Warwick trainer Les Clarke, drove through the centre of the pack and kicked away in the last furlong to win comfortably by three and a half lengths. Favourite Festival Prince from the Matt Kropp yard finished in second place. The Kropp stable was gunning for their fourth Warwick Cup on the trot but it was not to be.
Les Clarke and granddaughter Rachal Watts were over-come by emotion as the horse returned to scale.
“I can’t believe this,” Clarke said.
“To win your own Cup is sensational.
“I have only ever had one other starter in the Cup.
“This horse has been working really well and we set him for this race.”
The six-year-old was perfectly ridden by Toowoomba based jockey Stephanie Lacy.
Lacy is no stranger to the horse.
“I rode him two starts back in a 1200 metre race in Dalby and he raced exactly the same way.” Lacy said.
“Sat back in the field and powered home and I was pleased he was able to do the same jumping up to the 1500 metre journey today.”
Lacey said she rode the horse in a jump out in Toowoomba recently and he worked really well.
“I am so pleased the owners stuck with me,” she said.
“This is my biggest win to date, and it is a real thrill and I am so pleased to have been able to win this race for Les (trainer) and his granddaughter Rhiannon and the local connections.”
Lacy has based herself in Toowoomba since relocating from the Sunshine Coast and rides Clarke’s horses work if he takes them to Toowoomba for gallops or trials.
She was full of praise for the Allman Park track saying it raced very fairly on Saturday despite concerns earlier in the week about the track.
“The track was fair for all runners today. Horses were making ground and winning on the inside, from the middle and outside.
“Normally if this track has had rain, jockeys head to the ambulance tracks on the outside but today it was very fair,” the winning rider said.
Local horses scooped the pool on Saturday winning both major races.
In the Fraser Livestock Transport Newmarket, the other major race on the nine event card, locally trained Magic in Me saluted for Warwick trainer Gary Schwenke and a group of local owners.
Punched right out in the straight by jockey Rhiannon Payne, Magic in Me stuck his head out right on the line on the line to win by the narrowest of margins from Toowoomba gallopers Steinbrenner and American Saint in a thrilling blanket finish.
Warwick trainer Gary Schwenke said after the race the horse had been racing and working well and he thought he would run a big race. It was the gelding first start since May.
It was a peach of a ride by Payne who had the horse in the box seat running second from the 800metre mark.
Peta Calada started the run of success for local horses in the previous race. Starting at $12 the Gino Barbierato galloper came from the middle of the field to just edge out the favourite Toowoomba galloper New York Gal.
The Warwick Cup meeting opened with a win for the Gold Coast trained Bout who broke her maiden in the Gross Wholesale Meats Fillies and Mares maiden. Ridden by Karl Zechner the mare started at $5 and had some support in the betting.
In the next the Toowoomba trained Lock and Launch put its best foot forward to win the Hutchison Contracting Maiden for Colts Geldings and Entires.
Elusive Eagle was a convincing winner in the third event the Ranbuild Warwick – Scotty Ellis memorial race. Trained in Goondiwindi by Barry Sheppard Elusive Eagle notched up his eighth career win on Saturday and was well handled by Chris Taylor. The topweight slipped under the guard of punters and started at the good odds of $14.
The Matt Kropp trained Calm Seeker had favourite backers cheering when cleared out for a six length win in the Warwick Hotel Handicap. Starting at $3.10 the favourite gave jockey Alisha Donald an armchair ride and strode away for a big win
In the Warwick Vet clinic Plate punters sent the Beaudesert trained Roman Heir out a short priced favourite ($1.80) and had their hearts in their mouths as jockey Chris Taylor forced everything out of the gelding in the final 50 metres to just edge out Angel Grace by a nose.
A big day of racing wrapped up with the running of the DD Hire handicap. Under gloomy skies jockey Cody Collis brought Toowoomba trained Delayed Launch ($4.80) from back in the field and stormed home to win the last by a comfortable two and half length margin.
It wrapped up a memorable day filled with great racing. The highlights no doubt were the wins of the local gallopers in the two main races.
